'π»ππ πππ π ππ π'π ππππ, πππ ππ πππππ ππππππππππ ππππππππππ πππ ππππππ π° πππ πππ.'
The sky over kolkata. Rain poured relentlessly over College Street, turning the narrow, bustling road into a chaotic stream of honking cars, flashing headlights, and darting umbrellas. The air was thick with moisture, the scent of wet books and old paper rising from the famed line of bookstores that stretched endlessly on one side of the road.
Students, mostly Class 12 aspirants, had swarmed the bookshops in panic. The pre-board exams were days away, and College Street had turned into an academic battleground past year questions, revision notes, and quick guides were flying off shelves faster than the vendors could restock. Some students squeezed under the worn-out tarpaulin of the stalls, others braved the downpour, determined to get the books they needed.
Across the street, on the opposite footpath, Mayank and Aabir stood with their backpacks shielding their heads, half-soaked, trying to navigate their way through the mess of honking yellow taxis, cycle rickshaws, and rushing students.
"This rain won't stop, bro," Aabir muttered, adjusting the strap of his bag. "Why didn't we just come earlier?" Mayank chuckled he was about to say something but his attention had shifted.
ππ‘π‘ππ§ ππ‘π‘ππ§...
a soft, rhythmic jingling, out of place in the surrounding noise.
Turning slightly, Mayank's eyes locked onto a girl weaving through the crowd by the bookstore. She wore glasses, water speckled on the lenses, and held her umbrella close. Her steps were light, and hanging from her backpack was a tiny keychain with small ghungroos that danced with every step. That was the sound. The soft tinkling felt like a melody in the chaos.
Mayank froze, the world blurring behind foggy glasses and honking autos. Aabir's voice faded into the background. It wasn't love, not yet, but something sparked. Maybe it was the keychain. He didn't even know her name. Just the sound of that ghungroo, the way she pushed up her foggy glasses, the way she smiled faintly at a book title somehow, it all etched into him.
In that crowded, rain-drenched street, Mayank didn't just hear a keychain.
He felt a moment. She hadn't noticed him. Her gaze was lost in the maze of titles stacked under plastic sheets, fingers brushing the wet edges of books.
He didn't know how long he was staring seconds, maybe but time felt suspended.
"Mayank!" Aabir's voice cut through the spell, urgent. "Careful! That rickshaw almost hit you, man!"
Instinctively, Mayank stepped back, pulling himself out of the road and onto the cracked pavement. A cyclist cursed under his breath, splashing a streak of dirty water as he passed.
Mayank blinked, snapping fully back to reality. He turned to Aabir, who was wiping rain off his specs with his shirt.
"Sorry... I was justβ" Mayank started.
But something tugged at his chest. He turned back quickly, eyes scanning the crowd by the bookstore.
She was gone.
The spot where she had stood was now crowded with boys flipping through books, a woman haggling over a math guide, and a vendor restacking a pile that had just toppled. The girl with the glasses, the quiet smile, and the ghungroo keychain had vanished swallowed by the ever-moving stream of College Street.
For a moment, Mayank stood there, stunned, eyes darting left and right as if she might reappear. But she didn't.
"Looking for someone?" Aabir asked, glancing at him. Mayank shook his head slowly, half-lost in thought. "No... nothing."
But deep inside, a strange emptiness had bloomed like a page torn from a book mid-sentence.
He didn't even know her name.
All he had was a sound.
ππ‘π‘ππ§ ππ‘π‘ππ§...
---
π·πππ'π π·ππππ ππ π½πππ (πͺππππππππ )
The rain was relentless, pattering softly against the windshield of the sleek black car as it slowed to a halt near the crowded stretch of College Street. Inside, Paro sat in the back seat, legs crossed, her glasses slightly slipping down her nose as she scrolled through the syllabus checklist on her phone.
"God, look at this crowd," groaned Siddhi from beside her, adjusting her hoodie. "You sure you want to do this now? We could've just ordered those books online."
Paro smiled faintly without looking up. "I know but you also know that I want a reason to step out from that house." Siddhi looked at her "god Paro people are dying to live in a house like yours. Including me" Siddhi said dramaticly Paro rolled her eyes "My house is your house I said it thousand of time " her tone was rude. Siddhi smiled softly and nodded. Paro continued "and you know the reason behind it... you know that ki why I don't like to stay in that house and more ever also Some books are meant to be found on shelves, not websites." Siddhi rolled her eyes. "You sound like your nani again." Paro chuckled and nodded. "the reason I love this place. Even in the rain."
Their driver opened the door, umbrella already in hand, but Paro waved him off. "We're fine, Bhola da." Slinging her backpack over one shoulder, the faint chhan chhan of the ghungroo keychain echoed as she stepped out onto the wet pavement.
Instantly, she was hit by the familiar chaos horns, shouts, the smell of wet paper and samosas frying nearby. Despite the mess, there was something romantic about College Street in the rain. A kind of beautiful disorder.
Siddhi huffed beside her, pulling her jacket tight. "Let's just grab the books and go." "You go to see biology first. I'll check the math's section over there," Paro said, pointing to the old store across the street with faded Bengali lettering.
Without waiting, she drifted into the sea of umbrellas and wet plastic-covered books, her ghungroo chiming gently with each step.
She was in her own world. She leaned closer to a table, picking up a physics guide, brushing her wet hair behind her ear. For just a breath of a second, something inside her paused. A tiny flicker. A tension in the air. Like someone was holding their breath.
But Siddhi called out from behind, "Paro! They've got the question banks!"
Paro looked up, smiled slightly, and turned away. While her phone ringed.
"Hello! Bhola Da! What Ma called you??... I am coming" she closed her eyes in frustration. "Now I have to deal with new drama..!!" She sighed and went towards Siddhi.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished back into the crowd, her ghungroo echoing one last time before fading into the downpour.
She never saw him.
But she left him standing there, heart thudding, a thousand thoughts chasing a single sound.
----